Fast Forward
by Hollywithaneye
Summary: Five years and much water under the bridge after their break up, Momiji and Kusanagi suddenly meet again...some profanity and sexual content. Please please review! FINALLY FINISHED!!
1. Everything in it's Right Place

_Please note: I do not own these characters, yada yada yada...this is still a work in progress, I have no idea when the thing will be done or even how big it will be. It keeps changing as I write it, so we shall see where we end up! I may get blasted by the hardcore Blue Seed fans for changing Momiji's character so much, but I wanted to explore the pathways that she could take as a person in the future. After all, she's only 15 when we meet her and we all know that nobody is the same person at 21 as they were at 15. That said, read on and enjoy, and feel free to review (even if it is a flamer!) -- **Threnody**   
  
P.S. If you are looking for more Blue Seed stuff, check out my webpage, http://blueseed1.tripod.com/mitamasgalore.html. SHAMELESS PLUG!! Anyways, it's still under construction but check it out!_   


**Chapter 1**

Momiji woke from her dream with a start, the memories of it still vivid in her mind. She could almost see his smile, hear his laugh_ Oh no. Not that again,_ she thought. _Five years since the break up and he still won't quit haunting me._ Sighing, she rolled over in bed and stared at her fiancé Todd sleeping peacefully. This was her future; this was the man she loved. Or at least, the best someone like she was going to get. The American had his quirks, but he was sweet and she believed he truly did love her. Not like most of the men who had come after Momiji in the last 3 years or so. 

Ever since that whole Kushinada thing, Momiji had become Japan's national figurehead, the hero and savior of a country. As such, nothing in her life was private._ I know how American movie stars must feel,_ Momiji thought with a wry smile. But the fame and worship had come with a price. It seemed as if no one wanted to be close to Momiji except for personal reasons. Men wanted to marry her simply to be dragged into the spotlight. Friends hardly ever turned out to be real friends at all. She was surrounded by people and still she had never been more alone in her entire life. 

Losing her mother and grandmother in the Arigami attacks had been the hardest part. Sure, Mr. Kunakida and Ms. Takeuichi (now Ms. Kunikida) had adopted her and brought her into their home to live out her last few years of high school. But now she was 21, in college, and living out on her own. Todd seemed to be the only person she could count on to be there right now. _Except for...well, not anymore..._fiercely Momiji shoved that unfinished thought aside. She had to stop thinking about Kusinagi. That stupid dream had really messed with her head. She hadn't seen Kusanagi in 5 years. Gods knew where he was now. Kusinagi was gone. Gone gone gone gone gone. 

"He's gone," she whispered to herself, trying to drive the point home. Todd heard her and stirred in his sleep, waking up enough to open one eye. 

"Did you say something, sweetie?" he mumbled. 

"No, nothing." Momiji pulled the covers up, rolled over, and tried to go back to sleep. After a half hour of tossing and turning, she decided sleep was a lost cause and got up to take a shower and get ready for classes. 


	2. How to Disappear Completely

**Chapter 2**

Momiji spent the whole day at class even more scatterbrained than her usual self. She just couldn't seem to focus on anything today. "Whew Momiji, get a grip on yourself," she mumbled. "It was only a damn dream." 

"Did I hear you say 'dream' Momiji??" her friend Akiko, who went to the same school, teased. "Dreaming about ol' Loverboy-Todd?? You really gotta quit that, you turn into such a space cadet when you do." 

"No, not about Todd...about, well, nothing. Nevermind." Momiji said. "Ok..."Akiko shrugged. "Well, you're still acting pretty weird today. What's gotten into you? You're not hiding something from me again are you? I thought we went over this last time!" 

"No Akiko, I really mean it's nothing. Don't worry about it." Momiji tried to put on a big smile. Akiko eyed Momiji suspiciously. "Well...ok...lemme know if you ever need to talk about something though, right?" 

"Will do, Akiko. Now, I gotta run or I'm going to be late for work. Catch you later!" Momiji waved and ran off, late as usual. 

She only got a few blocks when she suddenly heard loud noises and yelling from an alleyway up ahead. Warily, she crossed to the other side of the street and slowed down to take a look. As the yelling got louder, she could make out the sickening sounds of flesh on flesh, the wet smack of a fist making contact._ Gang fight?_ she thought to herself. Torn between running away and her curiosity, Momiji stood on the street and peered into the dark alley, trying to make out just what was going on inside. She could hear the voices more distinctly now. 

"Freak!"" We're gonna kick your ass freak!"" Where's your fight now, huh?" "You just going to lay there and take it like a bitch?" Each one of these insults was accompanied by a blow and Momiji could make out a ring of tough looking street kids surrounding a prone figure. All common sense fell away as Momiji indignantly surveyed the scene. Her compulsion to stick up for the underdog kicked into overdrive, and against all better judgment she reached into her purse for the small gun she now carried. Too many psychopaths around still made attempts on her life, just 'in case', and she had taken it upon herself to learn how to use a weapon. Without Kusanagi...well, she had to take care of herself now. She was a lot tougher than she used to be. 

Gritting her teeth, she stalked over towards the alley, gun held in a steady grip as she took a stance by the opening. "Ok, scumbags!" she yelled. "Leave them alone!" 

As they all turned shocked faces towards her, she saw that they were younger than she had guessed, maybe 16 or 17. One by one their surprise melted into a sneer, and they looked her over contemptuously. "What are you gonna do about it, lady? Shoot us?" one particularly weedy youth laughed. Momiji narrowed her eyes and stared the kid down. She wasn't going to take this kind of shit from this kid. She didn't need this right now. "Just do it!" she barked, hoping that she sounded convincing. _ Could I really shoot him?_she wondered to herself as her gun wavered slightly. 

Slowly the group advanced toward her, accompanied by various comments on the 'fun time' they were going to show Momiji. 'I mean it," she said. "Stay back or you'll regret it!" When they all laughed again, something seemed to break inside Momiji. All the helplessness she had felt throughout her life, all the attacks she had depended on others to rescue her from came rushing into her mind. In these pimply kids faces she saw all the countless Arigami who had tried to kill her, all the crazy people who accosted her on the street, all the hate mail and threatening letters she got daily. But this time it would be different. This time she would stand up for herself. This time Momiji would rescue someone else. This time…she steadied her stance and let the anger course through her. "No!" she cried out. "Leave…me…alone!!!" And she fired a shot directly at the gang leaders left foot. 

As the report rang out, the youth's faces turned to disbelief, and then the air was filled with the screams of the injured leader. Hastily, the gang dragged their comrade out of the alleyway with cries of "Quick, the cops will come!" Momiji dropped the gun as if it had burnt her and stared at her hands for a minute in shock. She had actually shot them! _ I shot them!_ She repeated over and over to herself._ I shot them!_ She was startled out of her daze by the sound of a muffled grunt. _ Oh jeez!_ She thought. In all the excitement she had forgotten about the very person she was trying to rescue! 

Hastily she ran over to the crumpled person lying face down in the alleyway slime. "Hey, hey mister!" she cried out. "Mister, are you ok??" He looked pretty bad, she didn't think he was moving at all until she saw him struggle a little to roll over. 

"Here, I'll help you," Momiji's reached out to the man's shoulders. "Although I don't really think you should be moving. Let me go get some hel..." Momiji froze, hands hovering above the man's now face-up self as her sentence trailed off into the dead silence. _ No!_ Her dazed mind struggled to sort through its confusion and surprise at the face below her, bloody and bruised with two eyes swollen shut. _ It can't be!_ Momiji jerked her hands away like she had been electrocuted, stumbling backwards in her shock and tripping over the refuse in the alley. She could do nothing but stare in disbelief as Mamoru Kusanagi groaned again and appeared to regain some consciousness. 

He struggled for a few moments to sit up before achieving any success, and Momiji was too stunned to even attempt to help. "K-Kus..." she croaked out through a mouth and throat suddenly gone dry. Swallowing and clearing her throat she tried again. "Kusanagi?" she whispered. 

He suddenly froze in place, his puffy eyes attempting to force themselves open enough to see. "Who is there?" he cried out, the effort making him cough "How do you know me?...who are you?" Kusanagi struggled the rest of the way up and stood swaying unsteadily, green blood dripping from dozens of cuts and bruises blooming all over his body. One arm was cradled in the other and looked like it might be sprained. "Who are you??" he yelled, panicked with a feral look on his face. "I can't see." Kusanagi began stumbling out of the alleyway, 

"Kusanagi!" Momiji cried out, desperate to calm him down. "It's me!" Kusanagi stopped moving so abruptly he almost fell over."Mo-Momiji?" 

"Kusanagi, it's me!" Momiji stood up and started towards Kusanagi. At the sound of her voice Kusanagi began backing up hastily, tripping over piles of trash before suddenly he suddenly flew up into the air and dissapeared over the rooftops. 

"Kusanagi! _Kusanagi!_ Come back!" Momiji screamed into the empty sky. "Please!" Frustrated, Momiji stamped her foot and took off running out of the alley in search of Kusanagi. Eagerly she scanned the horizon but she couldn't see anything. He was gone. Again. "Damn!" 

He was too hurt to be flying around like that! Why had he run away?? That was her job usually. All these past five years, she had secretly entertained fantasies of meeting Kusanagi again but somehow they had always ended rosier than this debacle just had. Not that she could blame him of course. If she were him she would hate her too. Unwillingly, scenes of their messy breakup began replaying in Momiji's head, and she sadly trudged home to the movies in her mind. 

_"It's over, Kusanagi. Get the hell out of my life and just leave me alone! I don't want you, I don't need you, and I certainly don't love you!"... _

"Its time for me to grow up Kusanagi. I can't have you following me around like a well trained guard dog trying to protect me all the time!"... 

Fragments of their last conversation chased after Momiji, rearing their ugly heads and laughing at her confusion. God, she thought it had been the right thing to do! He couldn't really have loved her. No brainwashed guard dog really loved its charge, it was just obedient. Little had she imagined how much she had loved him, and how much it would hurt to be seperated from him until the deed was done. Even now she still felt ugly, cruel, and stained when she remembered the way she had treated him. But she knew it had been the right thing to do. She had to set him free, let him live his own life. If you love something, set it free and all that, right? Right? So...why hadn't he come back to her? 

_Because you were right!_ A nasty little voice whispered in the back of her head. _He really didn't love you at all. You were just a silly, stupid girl. That's why he ran off again, before you could get some silly ideas in your head and try to hook your claws in him again. Can you blame a guy for wanting his freedom after years of groveling for you and Kaede?_ Sadly, Momiji sighed agreement and began walking home through the growing twighlight gloom. 

A few blocks away inside another alley, Mamoru Kusanagi was propped against the cold brick of a building, trying deperately to get his pulse back under control. _What in the hell is Momiji doing here? If that was Momiji..._ he growled to himself. That girl...er, woman in the alley looked far different than anything Kusanagi remembered from 5 years ago. _No baby figure there any more...she probably gave up those kiddie panties too,_ he thought with a wicked grin as visions of more 'adult' options danced through his head. But as suddenly as the grin had appeared it was wiped away when Kusanagi's memory flashed a few choice images at him. Namely, THE scene. The big, fatty, drawn-out, festering last time he had seen Momiji. Quickly that was followed up by a photo he had seen in the newspaper of one Mr. Todd Schell, who was otherwise known as one certain Kushinada's fiancee. Involuntarily he winced, and the pain his battered face registered caused him to wince again. Who knew why she had wanted him to come back…he could still hear her voice calling him faintly. Probably to kick him while he was down. Or ask him why he was letting himself be beaten up. How could he explain to her? How could he tell her that they were right…they were all right about him and he was so very damn tired of fighting. _Or, best of all, maybe she wanted to invite me to the wedding…yippee,_ he thought, dripping with sarcasm even in his own head. Frowning to himself, Kusanagi pushed himself away from the wall and staggered off in search of a place to curl up and lick his wounds, both physical and mental. 


	3. In Limbo

**Chapter 3**

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Todd said to Momiji, his voice right next to her ear as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Sighing, Momiji tore her gaze away from the Tokyo skyline she saw out her balcony and turned to face him, leaning against the railing to steady herself. Todd placed his hands on the railing, one on each side of her, effectively trapping her and began planting little kisses on her neck. 

"No, not really…" she answered absently. "Why do you ask?" 

"I dunno, you just seem different this past week…kind of distant." Todd replied after coming up for air. "Getting cold feet?" he joked. 

At her hesitation, Todd stopped trying for a better angle at her neck and straightened up, looking at her intently. "Momiji…are you getting cold feet?" he asked again. 

"No, I mean, well…" 

"Something has happened, hasn't it?" Todd asked again, staring closely at her eyes. "What is it?" 

Momiji averted her gaze from those keen blue eyes and became very, very engrossed in the pattern of tiles on her balcony floor. "Todd…" 

Todd's eyes softened sadly as a realization hit him. "It is Kusanagi, isn't it?" he urged. 

"No! Well, I mean, yes…I mean, I saw him last week. I found him in an alleyway, all beaten up and bloody and I saved him. But then, he just ran off afterwards. I can't seem to stop thinking about the wounded look on his face when he found out who it was who rescued him." She rushed through the sentences, realizing afterwards what they sounded like. "Todd, I…" she trailed off lamely, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she dropped her eyes back towards the oh-so-fascinating tile. 

Dropping his hands to his sides, Todd heaved a sigh and reached over, gently tilting Momiji's face back towards him. "Momiji…I know how you feel about Kusanagi. I know how you have always felt about him, and always will feel about him. But somehow I had hoped, I had prayed, I had told myself it wasn't true. You would see how I feel and it would be enough." He stopped her squeak of protest with one finger and continued. "No please, Momiji, let me finish. I know that you love me, but I know that it is not the same. No one forgets their first love. Some of us never get over them either." Todd paused for a moment. "I had hoped that you fell into the first category Momiji… but it seems more like the second." Todd stopped again to blink back what seemed to be the beginning of tears. 

"I wish things could have been different for us, Momiji…" he began again. "I wish we could have gotten married, and tried to have a normal life. But your loyalty and your capacity for love are some of the things I love most about you. I have never and will never meet a person like you. That is why I have to call our wedding off, right here. Once and for all." 

Momiji's head snapped to attention and she searched Todd's eyes in confusion. "W-what??" 

"We have to call the wedding off, Momiji. It can't go on." 

"But, I don't understand. Why?" Momiji sputtered. 

Todd smiled a small sad smile. "Do I have to spell it out Momiji? You are still in love with Mamoru Kusanagi. Hopelessly, madly in love. I can tell, always have. And asking you to ignore that would be like asking the bird to stop singing. I can't ask you to stop being who you are Momiji. So the best thing I can do for you is get out of your way. I want to do this Momiji. For you. I can be selfless too. I can be brave too. This is something I need to do Momiji." Todd leaned over and brushed a light kiss across Momiji's lips. "Keep the ring Momiji. Maybe in another time, another life…" Todd shook his head and wiped tears from his eyes, turning to leave. 

"Todd!" Momiji cried out, and he turned back around. "Todd…thank you. I wish it didn't have to…well, just, thank you." She whispered. As she watched him walk out the door of her apartment Momiji heard his voice drift back to her. "Just fix it Momiji. Fix him, make me proud. Don't make me regret what I just did. I have faith in you…" The stunned Momiji could only listen as the sound of his feet on the stairs slowly faded away. 


	4. Long Cold Fall

**Chapter 4**

Kusanagi limped through the park, lost in a haze of recollection so thick he was utterly oblivious to the world around him. Suddenly it occurred to him how he must look; a green haired slit eyed fang faced freak marching around the park mechanically with a menacing scowl on his bruised and scabbed face. Snorting derisively, he mocked himself for the umpteenth time that night. _Freak,_ he thought to himself. _Freak, freak, freak…_His tirade of self loathing was ended only by the sharp pains that suddenly cramped his stomach, the result of one too many kicks in the kidneys. Doubling over, he fought to control his spinning vision and limped over towards a bench underneath the spreading limbs of a giant cherry tree. A week had gone by and still these cramps and pains weren't going away. Unable to keep his balance any longer Kusanagi flopped down onto the weathered wood and leaned back, feeling himself waver in and out of consciousness. Peering up groggily at the pink blossomed branched he grinned to himself. _How ironic,_ he thought. _Right where Kaede and Susano-oh and this whole deal ended._ He spent a lot of time haunting this park; it was filled with the shadows of the only two people he had ever loved, and who had both left him. _Hard to blame them_ was the mantra he echoed over and over again while staring at his hands in his lap, the strange mitamas winking at him in the pale moonlight. _If I wasn't so sure that no one would miss me I might be concerned I was dying_ he thought to himself with a wry smile as he slipped faster and faster down the steep slope into unconsciousness, finally splashing down into the dark icy waters of his inner mind and sinking below the surface. 

Frantically Momiji raced out the doors of her apartment building and out onto the dusky streets of Tokyo. _Todd was right…I have to find him and tell him the truth!_ Taking off running down the streets, Momiji searched every shadow and alleyway she passed. She had no idea where he could be hiding, or where he had spent the last 5 years. _He could be anywhere!_ she protested. _I'll never find him in time!_ Visions of a dead, wounded, or in-various-stages-of-dying-Kusanagi paraded through her head, spurring her on to new speeds. 

Out of the blue, a thought occurred to her and she stopped abruptly. She knew that she no longer had a mitama, but she was the Kushinada, wasn't she? If that mumbo jumbo Kaede had been saying about the Kushinada being in control of the Arigami was right, then shouldn't she have some idea where an Arigami might be? _Or at least one in particular…_Brow furrowed in concentration, Momiji stood perfectly still on the street corner and closed her eyes, oblivious to the people streaming around her like water around a rock. She imagined her mind was a giant web and cast it out over the entire city, letting it settle and hoping for something to brush a strand. Time ticked by and she felt nothing but the exasperated bumps of people trying to move around her. Just when she was giving up hope and thinking the plan was an altogether stupid one, accompanied by a tirade on Kaede's ignorance, she felt a tickle. Excitedly , Momiji concentrated harder and thought…felt…maybe…_Yes! There!_

Momiji jumped and took off in the direction the tickle was dragging her, towards Tokyo's giant equivalent of Central Park, created during the rebuilding of Tokyo after the Arigami attacks. Reaching the towering gates, she raced through despite the caretakers cries that the park was closed. Pausing to orientate herself, Momiji began making her way towards the towering monolith of a cherry tree that stood in the center of the park, gently raining pink blossoms down on the lawn below. And on that lawn, amidst the snowshower of petals was a bench with what certainly appeared to be Kusanagi slumped over on it. Momiji's heart leaped into her mouth and froze there as she saw the unnatural angle he was resting in. _Oh please no… _she thought frantically. _Don't let me be too late!_

Scrambling up the slope towards the bench, Momiji searched for signs of life from Kusanagi. At first she thought the worst, but then a short, shallow breath hitched in his throat and she about started to cry. _Thank you God, thank you thank you!_ Running over to his side, Momiji knelt down by the bench and tried to feel for his pulse. 

"Kusanagi! Kusanagi!" she cried out, and his brow wrinkled faintly at the sound. Momiji shook him by the shoulders slightly, hoping to bring him back to consciousness. After trying repeatedly with no luck, Momiji sat back on her heels and chewed her lip, trying to decide what to do. She only knew one person who might be able to help at a time like this, so she did the only sensible thing a girl in her position could do. She ran to the nearest payphone and called the TAC. 


	5. High and Dry

**Chapter 5**

Startled out of a deep sleep, Asuza Matsudaira rolled over the top of her former ex-husband in her search for the jarring telephone. Fumbling with the reciever, she cracked her eyes enough to register that the clock on her nightstand read 1:15 am before lifting the phone to her ear and grating out a "Hello?" 

"Matsudaira." The gruff voice of her ex-boss Kunikida crackled over the phone line and Matsudaira snapped to attention. "We have a problem, sort of an emergency, and I was wondering if you might be able to help. I know you aren't a member of the TAC anymore but as our biotech on retainer you are the only one I think who can help us." 

Matsudaira's eyes lit up at the thought of an exciting opportunity. "What seems to be the problem, sir?" 

"Well…its Kusanagi." Kunikida replied. 

"Kusanagi?? But sir, I thought he left Tokyo-" 

"Yes, I know. But apparently he is still hanging around, and is currently extremely hurt. I think you are the only one who has the knowledge to help him. A regular doctor won't cut it for him. Meet us at the old headquarters as soon as possible." Kunikida said. 

Matsudaira nodded. "Understood sir…I'm on my way." She hung the phone up and began putting her clothes on. 

~**~**~ 

Matsudaira finished putting the final touches on Kusanagi's bandages and stood watching her patient, stretched out on an exam table with tubes and machines snaking around him until he was almost unrecognizable. Shaking her head slightly, she turned towards the anxious Momiji sitting in a chair nearby. 

"It's going to be tough for him Momiji…he's sustained a lot of damage to his internal organs, a massive concussion, broken ribs, and a few dozen other sprains, strains, and cuts. Walking around with these injuries for a week untreated hasn't exactly helped either." Matsudaira's face twisted into a puzzled frown. "I just don't understand it though. Kusanagi has a remarkable recuperative ablility. He should have healed these kinds of injuries a lot faster than this. I've seen this type of thing before, but usually patients only respond this slowly when they have no will to live." 

At this statement Momiji winced internally, waves of guilt washing over her. "Maybe he has Ms. Matsudaira…the way his face looked when I found him the first time…it was like a kicked dog." Momiji slumped forward in her chair and tried to hold back her tears. "I know, it's all my fault! If only I hadn't treated him so rotten! I didn't mean it, I didn't mean any of it…" Her words trailed off as she began to sob uncontrollably. 

Striding over to her, Matsudaira grabbed Momiji's shoulders and shook her, not so gently. "Stop that!! Get a hold of yourself, Momiji!" At Matsudaira's sharp tone Momiji blinked up at the older woman and her crying subsided. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard, Momiji! There's no way you could have known that this would happen, so quit wallowing in the past. Right now, Kusanagi needs you to pull yourself together and be there for him. Tell him how you feel later, but right now you need to be strong for him, and help him pull out of this. I know how you've changed, I know you can be stronger than you ever were before. Do it this time and worry about blame or fault later." 

At Matsudaira's words of wisdom Momiji straightened, blinking away the last of her tears as her sniffling faded. "You're right, Ms. Matsudaira. This isn't going to help him at all-" 

One of the machines attatched to Kusanagi let out a mechanical sqwuak, interrupting Momiji's sentence, and Matsudaira ran over to check the monitors. A slight stirring on the bed caught Momiji's attention and she pointed excitedly. "Look, Ms. Matsudaira! He's coming around!" 

Matsudaira nodded. "It appears that Kusanagi is regaining consciousness. I think I will go and tell the news to Kunikida." She gave Momiji a sly wink and began walking out the door. 

"Wait! Ms. Matsudaira…" Momiji trailed off as Matsudaira swept out the doorway. Turning towards the bed she let out an audible gulp as the thought of facing the occupant turned her knees to jelly. Weakly, she made her way over to the bed and stood staring down at Kusanagi, trying to think of something to say that didn't sounds completely stupid. " I mean, what do you say in this kid of situation?" Momiji mumbled to herself. 

"Hey there, Kus old boy! Haven't seen you in a little while, how's life treating you? Or, even dumber; Hey Kusanagi, come here often?" Momiji rolled her eyes at herself and continued cycling through ever-dumber greetings. 

She was suddenly shook out of her musing by a rough whisper from Kusanagi. "How about you just tell me where the hell I am, how I got here, and what you are doing here." 

Letting out a squeak of surprise, Momiji jumped back from the table and stood wringing her hands. "Oh, er, hi Kusanagi, um…" _Jeez, why does he suddenly make me feel like I am a gawky 15 year old again?!?_ Squaring her chin, Momiji took a deep breath and forced herself to behave like the mature 21 year old she was now. 

"I found you in the park, passed out on a bench, and Mr. Kunikida thought that we should bring you here and have Ms. Matsudaira examine you. You have been unconscious for quite a while now. We were…well, we were worried about you." 

At that Kusanagi snorted and turned his head away from her. "Yeah, sure you were." His voice was slightly muffled by the wall. "I bet you sent out search parties and all, Momiji." 

The sarcastic tone to his voice ripped fresh gouges in Momiji's heart and she stood there feeling about 3 inches tall. Kusanagi began struggling to sit up and Momiji rushed over to try and help. 

"Don't!" He spit out, and the venom in his voice caused Momiji to take a step back. "I don't need your help…or your pity" he said angrily. 

"It's not pity, I want to help. I was worried about you, you know." Momiji frowned. 

"Sure, worry." Kusanagi let out a brittle laugh. "Haven't done much worrying the last 5 years, have you Momiji? What suddenly changed your mind? Old Todd boy break up with you and now you're desperate? Please, spare me." Kusanagi rolled his eyes. 

The jibe hit home, and hit hard. Momiji drew herself up, eyes flashing murderously. "Look here, you stupid excuse for a carrot-top! I don't have to explain my motives to you or to anyone! I'm not a little girl, in case you haven't noticed, and I don't need to put up with this crap from you. I really was worried, but until you get a serious attitude adjusment I am not going to waste my breath or my time on you! Good bye!" Spinning on her heel and letting out a cry of exasperation, Momiji stalked out the door and slammed it behind her. 

Kusanagi stared after her, open-mouthed. He could hear her angry voice saying something to the waiting Matsudaira and Kunikida, then heard her briskly leave the building. _Well, you got what you wanted, didn't you?_ A voice in his head whispered. _She won't be wasting time on a freak like you._ He just hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly. Did he really want her to go? No, he knew that was the last thing he wanted right now. But it wasn't fair to her, trying to waste her time or good looks on a walking commercial for Miracle Grow. Good looks definitely…Kusanagi leaned back against the pillows and brought back images of the last few minutes. Now that he had gotten a clear look at her…damn! Those five years of growing had done a lot for her. 

_That girl has definitely been drinking her milk!_ he thought with a wicked grin. Long, lithe legs up to her neck, topped by a definitely pert pair of large breasts and a face that he had always thought beautiful, but had lost some of that baby fat and took on a more angular, defined look. And had she?…yes! As he remembered back, it became more and more clear. _Dear god,_ he thought with a groan as he sunk down under the sheets. She HAD been wearing blue jeans…tight ones…and the memory of her cute little derriere swaying out the door angrily was enough to knock any man back to unconsciousness. _Well, way to go, gizmo. She's definitely gone this time, and are you even sure it was the right thing to do?_ was the last coherent thought he had before letting himself slip back into sleep. 


	6. Thinking About You

**Chapter 6**

Exactly one week later, Momiji was standing out on her balcony again, watching the sun slip behind the buildings of downtown Tokyo in a blaze of molten red. Leaning against the railing with her chin on her hands, she contemplated the events of the last two weeks. So much had happened, her mind was still whirling with the breakneck speed of it all. First Kusanagi waltzes into her life, and Todd waltzes out. Then, Kusanagi kicks her out of his life. _How dare he!?_ she fumed. She still was angry at him for what he had said. Why was he acting so strangely? She knew that he had to have been hurt by her dumping him, but she didn't think he was capable of harboring such a grudge. Matsudaira and Kunikida had tried to get her to come back and talk to him, but her stubborn nature refused and Kusanagi was gone again within the next few days. At least he was doing better, or so Matsudaira had said. He was out of the woods, and well on his way to recovery. 

Sighing and dropping her forehead into her hands, Momiji cursed herself for ever letting him go in the first place. She thought it was the right thing to do! She thought she would be hurting him less. But it seemed she had only made things worse, at least for herself. She could finally admit to herself that she was miserable without Kusanagi. Finally she could see what Todd had seen all along, and the thought of that piled more guilt onto her. First Kusanagi, then Todd. How did she ever manage to break so many hearts? That is, of course, if Kusanagi had ever even felt something for her. She had thought he didn't, she had thought he just stayed with her out of obedience. But the way he had been acting, the pain she saw in his eyes…those eyes woke her up at night. She felt like beating her head against a brick wall a few dozen times. Maybe that would knock some sense into her so that the next time she wouldn't be so stupid when it came to love. If anything though, she knew that she had to have him back in her life. Even if they could only be friends, she had to be near him; she couldn't stand this seperation any longer. "Please Kusanagi…don't make me wait another five years…even if we can only be friends." she whispered sadly, and the wind picked her words up and whirled them away. 

~*~*~ 

Momiji's apartment had a convenient water tower on the building next door that made a perfect hide out. Kusanagi couldn't count how many times he had hidden there this past week behind these steel beams on this rooftop and watched Momiji live her life without him. He had spent the last week watching her flit around her apartment like a ghost not going to classes or work in days, and he didn't know if she had eaten much either. _Damn it, Momiji_ he thought fiercely. Why did she have to make it so hard? Why did she have to make him doubt, make him begin to believe that he was wrong about himself? Even now, his very hands itched with the need to hold her in his arms, just one more time. How many times had he wished over the years that she would get into trouble just once more, just so he could find her and sweep in and play her white knight. He would give anything to see her eyes shining up in gratitude as he swept them out of danger at the last second. Clenching his fists in pain, Kusanagi ripped off the gloves he wore so he could see the mitamas buried on his hands, reminding himself of the reason why he was here and she was there. 

As he watched her on her balcony, he realized just how beautiful she had become…his little Momiji had grown up. Sure, she had certain, er, physical attributes that she didn't use to, but that wasn't all. The past week of observation has shown him just how mature she was. She had become so independent and intelligent, it took his breath away sometimes. Five years ago he had left madly in love with a 16 year old cherub, and had returned to find himself still madly in love with a beautiful, smart, sophisticated woman. _Well, usually sophisticated,_ he smiled to himself as he saw her trip out the doorway to her balcony. She still had hints of the old klutzy Momiji, and those were the ones he loved the most. As she leaned on the balcony with her chin in her hands, red-brown hair blowing around her face in the breeze, his chest tightened almost painfully. He was glad she had quit tying her hair back with a bow, it made the copper strands dance playfully in the slightest breeze and…_God, you are such a moony-eyed fool_ he berated himself. Sighing, he pushed himself away from the pillar he leaned on and tensed to fly up and away when something caught his attention. On the light breeze Momiji's voice drifted towards him. "Please Kusanagi…don't make me wait another five years…even if we can only be friends." 

With a frustrated growl, he settled back down and closed his eyes. Inside, he was fighting a monumental battle. Part of him tried to stick by his guns, remind himself of the monster he was and run away again. But another part, one that had seemed to grow even more persistent the last week, insisted that he race up there and make everything right again; make her stop hurting. _Allright,_ he decided. _Compromise it is. If I can't be her lover, I can at least be her friend._ Sighing in defeat but secretly overjoyed, Kusanagi flew up towards her balcony to begin the process of 'being friends'. 

~*~*~ 

Taking a deep breath, Momiji savored the last few scraps of pink as the sun ended its dip below the horizon. Twilight settled over Tokyo and Momiji watched for the first stars to come out. Not that she could ever see any, Tokyo was just too bright, but it never stopped her from trying. Heaving a sigh, Momiji turned away from the railing and headed for the door. _I guess he's really gone this time,_ she thought. _I blew it by getting so mad…_She was so lost in thought that she missed seeing the decorative planter set by the side of the railing and tripped over it, sending her reeling forward. She had barked her shin so hard it took her a few moments to realize that her abrupt downward fall had been checked by two bronzed, strong hands on her upper arms and her cheek was suddenly smashed against something distinctly black and hard. With a heart that was suddenly somewhere in the general vicinity of her throat, Momiji looked downwards to see a pair of brown loafers, followed by a pair of black slacks that were topped by the black dress shirt and red trenchcoat with sleeves rolled up that she was currently leaning against. Gulping, she raised her eyes to meet a pair of slit pupils just as an amused voice rumbled out of that well-remembered pair of lips. "You really ought to be more careful, klutz." 

"Kusanagi!!" Momiji cried as he stepped back and she straightened herself out and brushed herself off. "You're all right!" 

Kusanagi felt vaguely guilty as he saw the relief shining in her eyes, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well, yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have worried you-" 

"Worried me?!?!" Momiji practically screeched. "I haven't seen you in five years, and the out of the blue I run across you getting the crap beat out of you in an alleyway. Then you just run off! What was I supposed to think? How did I know where you went? How did I know you weren't dying somewhere cold and alone in a stinking sewerhole somewhere?!?! Then, when I DO find you again, you behave like an ass and then run off again! No, I see absolutely nothing to be worried about with this scenario, do you?!?!" She was practically steaming by now. "So, are you going to run away again?" 

"No, Momiji, I'm not running off. And I really do mean it, I am really sorry about the way I have been acting lately-it's just that I've-" 

"Oh, forget it! I'm just glad you're ok!" Momiji cried as she launched herself at him, hugging him fiercely. Kusangi stared down at her a moment in surprise before wrapping his arms around her back. God, she felt so perfect in his arms…_No!_ he thought. _Friends only!_ He carefully detachted himself from Momiji and turned towards the railing of the balcony, leaning on it and looking out. "Look Momiji, I think we need to talk…" 

"No, wait. First, I have to tell you something…" Momiji turned around and screwed up her courage, knowing that she had to do this now or she would chicken out later. "Kusanagi, I-I didn't mean what I said. Five years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life when I told you to leave me alone. Nothing's been the same since you went away. I missed you every day, and it took me a long, long time to recognize what everyone else had always known." Swallowing, Momiji spun around to face Kusanagi. "I still love you, Kusanagi. I never stopped loving you, and it gets worse every day. I know that I hurt you, and I can't ask you to just forget that and come rushing back to me. But I wanted you to know, to let you make your own decision." Momiji held her breath as she waited to hear something from Kusanagi. 

Kusanagi closed his eyes as the words he had dreamed of hearing for years poured out of Momiji's lips. He could almost cry at the irony of it all. But he knew…telling himself that it was all for the best, Kusanagi did the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. He lied to Momiji. "I think …I think that we should just be friends, Momiji. I-I don't love you, not like you love me." _There. I've said it._


	7. Rearrange

**Chapter 7**

A thousand mountains crushed Momiji's heart and a thousand waterfalls put out every spark of hope she had ever had. She could feel her face crumple as the tears she barely held in check let loose, shining trails tracing their way down her cheeks. Turning away from Kusanagi, she ran inside her apartment and buried her face in her hands, hoping she was far enough away from Kusanagi not to make a total idiot of herself. Apparently she wasn't far enough away because she soon felt his presence hovering behind her back. Spinning around, she saw him standing helplessly behind her, hands reaching out to her with such a look in his eyes that Momiji suddenly knew. She knew that he was lying to her. Leaping at him, Momiji began to hit his broad muscular chest with her fists, punching him over and over again. Kusanagi finally was able to get ahold of her wrists and stop her flailing, only to have her suddenly go limp against him, sobbing uncontrollably and whispering something over and over. 

Leaning down towards her face, he tried to make out what she was saying and it suddenly hit him. "You are lying, you are lying…" she echoed over and over. 

"What are you saying, Momiji??" Kusanagi asked. Straightening up, she pulled herself away from his grip and stood proudly before him, defiance and anger flashing in her eyes as all trace of crying ceased. _God, she's beautiful when she's angry,_ he thought to himself. 

"I said you are lying. You - god - damn - coward!" Momiji spat at him. "I know you are lying to me Kusanagi. I can see it in your eyes. Why?? What are you so afraid of that you are willing to risk any chance of an us?" 

Kusanagi was taken back by the anger in her voice "Momiji, I-" 

"No, Kusanagi! No more excuses! No more lies! Tell me the truth, I deserve that much at least. That is, if you are not too chicken-shit to do it." She taunted. 

Kusanagi felt the anger and frustration of the last five years rising in him like a wave, cresting and breaking over him repeatedly until all he could see was red. Momiji saw the turmoil rising inside him and smiled smugly. If she pissed him off enough, maybe she would get to the bottom of this whole thing. She didn't count on the reaction she got though, as an angry Kusanagi lashed out at her like a caged tiger. 

"You want to know the truth Momiji?!?! Do you want to know the truth???" he cried out wildly, shaking her by the upper arms until her teeth rattled. "I can't stand to be seperated from you! I can't stand the thought of another five years away from you-hell, I can't stand the thought of another five days away from you!! I love you so much it hurts!" With an anguished cry, Kusanagi shoved her away from him and buried his face in his hands, shoulders shuddering as he tried to regain control of himself. 

"But…but I don't understand, Kusanagi! Why are you pushing me away like this? Why are you lying to me???" 

Kusanagi raised his face and turned to look at her. "Because I realized you were right. Oh, I know, you broke up with me 'to give me freedom' and all. But I know the real reason, and I can't blame you for it. All a girl wants is to be able to date a guy in the same genus or species as her at least, right? A beautiful girl - no, woman - like you should not be wasting her time with a walking freakshow like me. I'm NOT EVEN HUMAN, for crissake Momiji! I know you think you love me, but you're wrong! You're wrong! You're wrong…" he repeated as his voice hitched on a sob. 

"Freakshow? Species? What in the hell are you talking about, you silly idiot! That is not the reason I broke up with you at all, not in a million years!!!" Momiji cried out, and Kusanagi raised confused eyes to meet her own. "I broke up with you because I really did think that you needed freedom!!! Your entire life, all you had ever known was to watch the Kushinada! You were brainwashed with it from the very beginning! How was I to know that you actually loved me and weren't just following orders! I thought that…I thought that you were just humoring a silly teenage girls fantasy because that's what you were programmed to do. I swear on everything Kusanagi, that is the reason why I broke up with you!" 

"But - but- " Kusanagi sputtered as Momiji approached him, trying to hug him again. "NO!" he cried, shoving her away again and turning his back on her "You just don't get it, do you Momiji?? You deserve better than this! I am not someone you just take home to meet the family, get married to and have a few kids with!" Momiji saw his back writhe and twitch as his armor and blades suddenly burst through his clothing. Spinning around to face her, his face sported a cold smile as his six visible mitamas winked in the pale light. "_This is not boyfriend material, Momiji!!!!_" Kusanagi yelled. 

As he stood there with his chest heaving and a wild look in his eyes, Momiji knew what she had to do. Walking slowly, she began to circle him like a shark as he eyed her warily. Stopping behind his back, Momiji raised herself up on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. "I love you, Mamoru Kusanagi…Grass-cutter. Son of Orochi. Protector of the Kushinada. Keeper of my heart…" Momiji began planting kisses along the hard ridges of armor that protruded from his shoulders. "I love this…and this…and this…" She circled around to the front of him as he watched her with a desperate look in his eyes. 

"Momiji…" he choked out. She stood on tiptoe again and kissed each of the mitamas on his chest. "I love these," she whispered. Taking his hands in hers, she lifted each to her lips and kissed the sharp blades that extended from his forearms, as well as the mitamas set into the back of his hands. " I love these ones too." Finally, she lifted her face to his and brushed her lips lightly across each of his eyebrows and once for each eye. Making a small sound of defeat in his throat, Kusanagi crushed Momiji to his chest like a drowning man. " I love you…all of you, Kusanagi." Momiji said, and was rewarded by a sudden rush of warmth in his eyes. "Let's face it…I'm not exactly your average girl either." 

Turning her face upwards, Momiji touched her lips to Kusanagi's in a kiss that slowly deepened, turning from chaste to exploratory almost immediately. Tongue met tongue in an attempt to make up for the past five years, until they finally broke apart panting and gasping for air. 

"Momiji…" Kusanagi whispered, his eyes wide with wonderment. "My Momiji…you are the only person who can make me feel like a true man. For that, I will always love you." 

"Just promise me you won't run away again." Momiji laughed up at him and was rewarded by another crushing hug to his chest. "Never!" he replied fiercely. Momiji, pressed against his chest, felt the slight tremor run through his body as the armor and blades retracted. Stepping back, she ran an approving eye over her half-naked Arigami, all toned muscles underneath bronzed skin. "It seems you lost your shirt, Mr. Kusanagi." She winked at him with a sly grin. "Maybe it is time to see what other articles of clothing you can lose as easily." 

Sweeping her up into his arms, Kusanagi headed towards her bedroom. "I think," he growled playfully "that it is time for you to lose a few articles of clothing." 

Kusanagi was rewarded with a light love-tap slap to the cheek and another mischevious grin from Momiji. "You pervert!" 

**FINI**


End file.
